Allergic to Halloween: How to help kids have a safe, yummy time

Friday

For children with food allergies, the spookiest part of Halloween may be the goodies they collect in their trick-or-treat bags.

“Halloween is a social event centered around giving candy. Every year, despite everything we’re doing, it’s hard,” said Jill Robbins, a clinical psychologist from Windham, N.H., whose 10-year-old son Bradley is allergic to “pretty much everything.”

Wheat, peanuts, tree nuts, eggs, milk, corn, sesame and soy are some of the more common allergens, and they often show up in the typical treats handed out on doorsteps to little ghosts and princesses.

Thirteen-year-old Anna Ball of Springfield, Ill., has a wheat intolerance.

“Before Halloween, we would do a lot of research on the Internet to find which companies made candy she could eat. So on Halloween night when she came home, we would sift through her bag of candy and know immediately which ones she could eat,” said the eighth-grader’s mother, Lisa Ball.

When Robbins’ son was very young, he enjoyed the routine of simply getting into costume and ringing doorbells. But as he got older and realized there was a food component to the festivities, trick-or-treating became more complicated.

“Sometimes my husband would say, ‘If you can’t have it, bring it home to me,’ to make it seem special,” she said. “Sometimes the bowl of candy had stickers, spider rings or little toys in it, and he could pick the toys.”

The Milwaukee-based American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (AAAAI) offers these tips for parents of children with allergies:

- Create a “candy swap” with siblings or friends so forbidden candies can be traded for safe treats or toys.

- Provide neighbors with allergy-safe candies for your child.

- Teach children to politely refuse offers of cookies and other homemade treats.

In addition, www.kidswithfoodallergies.org makes these suggestions:

- Prepare a container filled with safe treats, and swap it for the treats collected.

- Donate candy to a food pantry or another entity.

- Skip trick-or-treating entirely and have a party instead.

Robbins recommends talking to your child before Halloween.

“You can problem-solve this together. Talk beforehand about where you’re going and what to do when the child gets something he can’t eat.” She hands out Gak’s Snacks (www.gakssnacks.com), organic baked treats with no wheat, dairy, eggs or nuts.

The incidence of food allergies has doubled in the past 10 years, and scientists aren’t sure why, according to the Fairfax, Va.-based Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network. Food allergies are the cause of about 200 deaths and more than 30,000 emergency room visits each year.

Because an estimated 3.1 million school-age children in the U.S. have food allergies, neighbors handing out treats may want to help those kids enjoy Halloween. The doctors’ group AAAAI suggests that neighbors:

- Make sure the treats they dole out have individual labels so families can determine whether the child can eat them.